I thought I’d share a few news stories featuring the going green movement. Being eco-friendly is very popular these days and it’s great to see people consistently coming up with new ways to save our planet. Some people may see this as a trend that will eventually fade out but I am hoping more people will not only change their life style to a more eco-friendly one but pass that onto their kids!
Sunchips came out with bio-degradable chip bags about 18 months ago. Great right? Well, apparently a lot of consumers didn’t think so because the bags were very loud, as in they made a more noise than other chip bags when used. 44,000 people actually joined a Facebook group called “Sorry but I can’t hear you over this Sunchips bag”. So, unfortunately, Sunchips is going back to it’s former bag design. However, Frito-lay (under Pepsico) is coming out with their own bio-degradable chip bags with Walkers Chips! They aim to reduce the carbon footprint by 7% as well as reduce water usage! The new bags won’t be out for another 18 months but I look forward to seeing them on shelves and I think it’s safe to assume that they will not be “loud” like the Sunchips ones! I think we’ll see a lot of other companies deciding to go this route as well in the next few years.
Can you imagine an eco-friendly vending machine? Maybe not but Sean Kelly, a freestyle snowboarding champion and biomedical engineer can! He has come up with H.U.M.A.N. These vending machines offer 1000 of the healthiest snacks like Clif bars, Tazo tea and Kashi all available at low cost. The H.UM.A.N. vending machine uses 30%-50% less energy because they are better insulated, have LED lighting and a cooling system. Some of these vending machines can be shut down when not in use to cut down further on energy waste. I think companies would be wise to introduce these in their buildings not only to encourage their employees to be healthy but because it’s new and inventive, so it would draw a lot of attention and perhaps create revenue. How great would it be to see these vending machines in schools?
A group at Bath University have created “HemPod”, a one-story building with highly insulating walls made from hemp. They used the wood core aka shiv of the hemp plant mixed with a lime-based binder. The hemp traps air in the walls while the lime-binder protects the help, making the building fire-resistant. Even better, the hemp plant takes in CO2 as it grows as does the lime-binder, giving the building a low-carbon footprint! It’ll be interesting to see if how well this does in the long run. If successful, maybe we’ll see more home builders doing this!
Credit:
Tiny Green Bubbles
USA Today
PR Web
Third Age
